Low Furlong

Updated 25 January 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Low Furlong is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Low Furlong is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The first day of our inspection was unannounced. We advised the registered manager when we would return to complete our inspection visit.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority who commission with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people and 14 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with 13 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, the provider’s regional operations director, 6 care staff, 2 members of the housekeeping team, the well-being lead and the maintenance person. We received feedback from 3 visiting healthcare professionals who worked with the home.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records and 6 people’s medicines records. We also looked at arrangements for administering, storing and managing medicines. We looked at a selection of monitoring records such as food and fluid charts and repositioning charts. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 25 January 2023

About the service

Low Furlong is a purpose-built residential home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 68 people, including people with dementia. At the time of our inspection visit there were 58 people living at the home. Care is provided across two floors. Communal lounge and dining areas were located on both floors. People's bedrooms were en-suite and there were further communal bathroom facilities located on each floor.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

People, relatives and external healthcare professionals spoke of very high standards of care at Low Furlong because of the exceptional leadership within the home. The registered manager was committed to achieving high standards and this was reflected in the motivation demonstrated by staff to ensure every person received care that met their individual and unique needs.

There was a strong sense of equality and collaborative working between staff because they felt their views and opinions were valued. The registered manager nurtured staff to reach their full potential and recognised when they had gone ‘above and beyond’ to make a person’s day better.

There was a strong emphasis on continuous improvement through the provider’s governance processes and feedback from other stakeholders. People, relatives and staff were involved in what happened in their home and were empowered in a variety of ways to have a say in how the service was run.

The registered manager promoted a culture of being open and honest, so people had confidence in the service being provided. Learning from incidents and complaints was a key contributor to improvements in the home.

There was a culture of encouraging staff to spend time with people and build relationships to support people’s emotional and social wellbeing. There was a full programme of activities which were designed not only to engage and entertain, but to also give people a sense of usefulness and purpose and help them feel valued. People were supported to maintain lifelong connections with the local community and maintain relationships and build memories with those who were important to them. Managers and staff had a strong commitment to supporting people and their relatives before and after death.

People and relatives told us the care, support and kindness they received from staff meant they were confident Low Furlong was a safe place to live. People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs and they did not need to wait when they called for support. Risks to people were regularly assessed and there were plans in place to help mitigate risks. Staff shared information about changes in people so any emerging risks could be managed.

People received their medicines as prescribed and staff understood their role in following good infection control practices.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 13 December 2017).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Good to Outstanding based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Low Furlong on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.